Grassley Honors Ray Gaesser, a Lifelong Champion for the Family Farmer

Statement for the Congressional Record by Senator Chuck Grassley of Iowa “Tribute to Ray Gaesser” Monday, September 14, 2026 Mr. President, I want to pay tribute to a friend and longtime supporter, who was a lifelong champion for the family farmer and highly respected leader for innovation and conservation that he put into practice on his own family farm in Southwest Iowa. Today would have been his 74th birthday. On Saturday, September 5th, Ray Gaesser passed away unexpectedly after a farming accident, a heartbreaking loss to his beloved family and a big loss to the farming community. Like many farmers across Iowa, Ray never stopped working. He started farming as a teenager alongside his dad in southern Indiana. When he married his wife Elaine, they began Gaesser Farms on a few hundred acres near Corning, the county seat of Adams County. With more than 50 years of farming under his belt, his farming operation eventually expanded to thousands of acres that he worked with Elaine and their son Chris. A lifelong steward of the soil, Ray practiced what he preached. Conservation was central to his farming operation, and he was a tireless pioneer for sustainability, clean energy and water quality. Decades ago, he implemented terraces, grass waterways, turn areas, 100 percent no-till planting and cover crops to conserve the land and strengthen Earth’s natural resources. Ray was widely respected in his Southwest Iowa farming community. To be sure, his voice and advocacy on behalf of American agriculture carried near and far, from podcasts to the policymaking table around the world and in Washington, D.C. Throughout his 73 years, Ray burned the midnight oil on the tractor seat and extracted every minute out of the day. He traveled around the globe, sharing stories with farmers about feeding the world, participating at UN Climate meetings and testifying before Congress on Capitol Hill. A dedicated member of the Iowa Soybean Association, serving as its president from 2006 to 2007, Ray went on to serve as president of the American Soybean Association from 2013 to 2014. His resume reflects his commitment to conservation and forging consensus to address challenges facing the future of farming. Among his many hats, Ray held leadership positions on the Iowa Soybean Promotion Board, the Iowa Economic Development Agriculture Advisory Board, the Iowa Conservative Energy Forum, the North American Climate Smart Agriculture Alliance and the International Soybean Growers Alliance. He served as co-chair of the Iowa Conservation Infrastructure Initiative and was named Iowa Master Farmer in 2012 and American Soybean Distinguished Leader in 2018. In 2014, Ray co-found Solutions from the Land and was a tireless crusader for renewable energy, including biomass, wind, solar and hydropower. Ray understood that proper stewardship of God’s natural resources can produce bountiful rewards for the nation’s food and energy security. Just like he never punted on hard work on the farm, he rolled up his sleeves to making things work when a solution seemed out of reach. From climate change to water quality and carbon sequestration, Ray didn’t avoid political hot potatoes. He immersed himself and brought stakeholders together on transcendent issues of our time: feeding the world, conserving resources, providing clean water and producing renewable energy takes a coalition of the willing. In his words, “When we work together, we all benefit.” In 2021, Ray was nominated by U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue and U.S. Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer to serve on USDA’s Agricultural Technical Advisory Committee for Trade in grains, feed, oilseeds and planting seeds. In this role, Ray brought decades of farming experience and dirt underneath his fingernails to the ears of the nation’s top ag and trade leaders to ensure Iowa soybean farmers were heard during global trade negotiations. He served as a commissioner on the Iowa Department of Transportation since 2022. Ray was a gifted leader and communicator. He used his talents and work ethic to share a pragmatic vision for resiliency and sustainability in agriculture. A son of the soil, Ray wanted to ensure the land could feed the world and sustain livelihoods for generations of farmers yet to come. From my annual county meetings and policy discussions in my office in Washington, I appreciated Ray’s enthusiasm and expertise. He was an impactful problem-solver who effectively leveraged levity and bone deep passion for farming that connected stakeholders and made a difference. Ray was a faith-filled servant leader, a family man and a farmer who was called home to the Lord. I’ve no doubt he will continue doing the Lord’s work among the angels, but as his friend, I will miss his advocacy for the family farmer, good-natured outlook on life and warm, welcoming smile. Barbara and I extend our condolences to his wife Elaine and his two children, Chris and Jennifer. -30-